Top 25 Men: Illini deny Richardson 500th win

No. 5 Illinois survives frantic finish in 94-91 victory over Arkansas

Chicago  Arkansas played its trademark in-your-face defense Saturday, swarming the court, pressuring the ball and making every possession a difficult one for No. 5 Illinois.

In the process, the Razorbacks repeatedly sent Illinois to the free throw line, particularly in the second half.

And that's where the Illini were able to pull out a victory, rallying to beat the Razorbacks 94-91 and deny Arkansas coach Nolan Richardson his 500th career victory.

"It's a little frustrating. They're a run-and-gun type and you don't get the shots you want every time you come down the court," Illinois guard Frank Williams said.

"They are a good pressure team and we knew they would get after us. In the second half we calmed down and got it under control."

Williams scored 25 points, hitting 18-of-24 from the line, and also had a last-second steal.

Arkansas, which led by 12 early in the second half, forced 22 turnovers 17 in the first half but couldn't overcome Illinois' 37-13 advantage at the line.

Brandon Dean led Arkansas (4-3) with a career-high 29 points, but he was called for an offensive foul with 5.5 seconds to go his driving shot banked into the basket but didn't count.

"Teams decide the outcome. Great officiating does not let a call that determines the outcome of a game, and that was the determining factor," Richardson said.

"I could understand if (Dean) was way up in front and had run over somebody, but that ball was shot and the guy was standing under the basket. That's a no call you play ball."

No. 1 Duke 104, Michigan 83

Ann Arbor, Mich. Jason Williams scored 14 of his career-high 35 points in the first 4:13 as Duke spoiled Tommy Amaker's reunion with his former boss. Duke (8-0) extended the nation's longest winning streak to 18 games, dating to last season's national championship run. Coach Mike Krzyzewski is now 13-0 against former players and assistants. Amaker is in his first season at Michigan (3-4).

No. 6 Florida 92,

South Florida 73

Tampa, Fla. Matt Bonner scored a career-high 31 points, and Udonis Haslem keyed a second-half surge that carried No. 6 Florida past previously unbeaten South Florida. Bonner made 13-of-16 shots and bettered his scoring best for the second straight game. Florida (6-1) broke the game open with a 16-0 run over a five-minute stretch of the second half. South Florida (7-1) lost for the 24th straight time to a ranked opponent.

No. 7 Arizona 79, Purdue 66

Anaheim, Calif. Luke Walton and Rick Anderson scored 17 points each, and Jason Gardner added 14 as No. 7 Arizona took command early in beating Purdue in the opener of the eighth Wooden Classic. Walton also had a career-high 13 rebounds, and Anderson had nine to lead Arizona (5-1) to a 49-28 advantage in that department. Willie Deane came off the bench to lead Purdue (5-3) with 19 points.

No. 8 Virginia 77, Auburn 72

Birmingham, Ala. Roger Mason scored 18 points and No. 8 Virginia hit 11 straight free throws late to beat Auburn in the Arby's Hardwood Classic. The Cavaliers (5-0) trailed 72-70 late, but held the Tigers (4-3) scoreless in the final two minutes. Auburn's Brandon Robinson scored 15 points before fouling out. It was the first meeting between the teams since Auburn's 33-26 victory in the 1931 Southern Conference tournament.

N.C. State 82,

No. 9 Syracuse 68

Syracuse, N.Y. Anthony Grundy scored 26 points, including nine in less than three minutes late in the second half. It was the first loss of the season for Syracuse (9-1). The Wolfpack (7-2) trailed only once in the game, 38-37, after DeShaun Williams hit a three-pointer with 18:49 left.

No. 11 Kentucky 79, North Carolina 59

Lexington, Ky. Tayshaun Prince scored 31 points and had 11 rebounds as Kentucky beat North Carolina in a matchup of college basketball's two winningest programs. Kentucky (5-1) became the first school to win 1,800 games. The Wildcats won their fifth straight after falling in the season opener.

No. 13 Boston College 80,

Massachusetts 78

Boston Troy Bell scored a career-high 34 points for Boston College, which nearly squandered a 26-point second-half lead. Ryan Sidney, playing with his broken jaw wired shut, had 10 points and 10 rebounds for BC (7-0), which has won 23 consecutive home games.

Indiana 74,

No. 15 Ball St. 61

Bloomington, Ind. Jared Jeffries scored 22 points and Tom Coverdale added 19 as Indiana withstood Ball State's three-point shooting. The Cardinals (5-2), whose only other loss was to top-ranked Duke, erased a 10-point first-half deficit and took the lead at 44-43 after three straight three-pointers.

No. 20 UCLA 79,

No. 16 Alabama 57

Anaheim, Calif. Jason Kapono scored 16 of his 22 points in the second half and UCLA took advantage of poor shooting by Alabama. The Bruins (4-2) improved to 5-1 in the Wooden Classic, named for 91-year-old John Wooden.

No. 17 Marquette 79, Fordham 55

Milwaukee Dwyane Wade had 16 points and seven assists for Marquette (9-0), which is off to its best start since the 1997-98 team won its first 10. Fordham (2-4) went without a point for a six-minute stretch in the first half.

Clarksville, Tenn. Derek Robinson put in a missed shot at the buzzer to lift Western Kentucky. Nick Stapleton of Austin Peay (3-6) hit a three-pointer to tie it at 75 with 10.5 seconds left. Western Kentucky (6-2) didn't call time out as freshman Patrick Sparks drove the lane and missed a shot off the back of the rim that Robinson was able to put back.